The Latin hymn "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel first appears in print in 1710, despite claims that the text dates to the 11th or 12th century. The early medieval origins of the O Antiphons have led to a common myth that Veni, Veni, Emmanuel itself dates to the Early Middle Ages.
Zoltán Kodály (December 1882 – March 1967) was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, music pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is well known internationally as the creator of the Kodály method of music education. Born in Kecskemét, in the Kingdom of Hungary, then Austria-Hungary, Kodály learned to play the violin as a child. In 1900, he entered the Department of Languages at the University of Budapest and at the same time Hans von Kössler's composition class at the Royal Hungarian Academy of Music. After completing his studies, he studied in Paris with Charles-Marie Widor for a year. In 1905, he visited remote villages to collect songs, recording them on phonograph cylinders. In 1906, he wrote a thesis on Hungarian folk song, Strophic Construction in Hungarian Folksong. At around this time Kodály met fellow composer and compatriot Béla Bartók, whom he took under his wing and introduced to some of the methods involved in folk song collecting. The two became lifelong friends and champions of each other's music. O come, O come, Emmanuel (Latin translation: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel) is a Christian hymn for Advent, which is also often published in books of Christmas carols. The text, originally written in Latin, is a metrical paraphrase of th O Antiphons, a series of plainchant antiphons attached to the Magnificat at Vespers over the final days before Christmas.
Jock McKenzie studied trumpet at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester where he was a joint recipient of the college’s concerto prize. From 1987 Jock based his musical career in Hampshire, working as a freelance trumpeter, conductor, composer, arranger and brass teacher. Jock is a former Professional Leader (Brass) for Hampshire Music Service and was the Director of the Hampshire County Youth Band from 2004 until 2020. It is the mix of all of these musical roles that has led to Jock establishing a reputation as a leading creator of brass music resources, particularly in the field of education and brass ensemble music. In 2020 Jock was awarded an “Honorary Fellowship of the University of Winchester” for services to music education. Currently Jock is working part-time for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; providing tuition for their Brass Teaching Module. In 2024 Jock was given the award for “Services to Youth” by Brass Bands England.
